How to attract Chinese travellers

SINGAPORE, 30 January 2019: With Chinese
New Year holiday just around the corner, hotels, online travel agencies and
travel content suppliers are bracing themselves for a holiday invasion.

Described as the world’s largest holiday migration some experts claim as many as 7 million Chinese will travel overseas to welcome the Year of the Pig, 5 to 8 February, although Chinese New Year travel will extend through to 19 February when the Lantern Festival takes place.

Hotelbeds APAC director of wholesale sales,
Hui-Wan Chua, fields a Q&A session and adds tips to make the best of the
Chinese New Year travel boom.

Q: What are the key dates for Chinese New Year travel this year?

A: “This
year, the Chinese New Year festival falls on Tuesday 5 February. However, the
seven-day holiday starts on Monday 4 February (New Year’s Eve) and ends on
Sunday 10 February.

Many tourists who travel during the Spring
Festival choose to leave one week early or return later, especially for
long-haul travel to Europe and America.

According to booking data from Ctrip as of 7
January, bookings will increase significantly on Thursday 31 January and the
peak level of traveling occurs on the first day of the New Year (Tuesday 5
February).”

Q: Is that true most Chinese travellers book last-minute trips?

A: “Many Chinese travellers book their
trips two to four weeks up front. When compared to western travellers who plan
their trip six months or more before departure, Chinese are indeed last- minute
bookers when it comes to holidays.

“However, for long-haul international
travel such as to America or Europe, most Chinese travellers will book and plan
their trips in advance, especially to those destinations without a visa waiver
or visa-on-arrival policy for Chinese travellers.

Q: How should hotels or travel intermediaries go about attracting last minute bookings?

A: “Travellers don’t always have control
over how far out they book a hotel room – perhaps because of difficulties in
confirming time-off from work. Therefore an increasing number of people book
hotel rooms in the days or even hours leading up to the start of their
vacation.

Q: What kind of holiday experience are Chinese travellers who want to go abroad looking for during the Chinese New Year period?

A: “Chinese New Year usually comes on the
coldest days of the year in China. Therefore Chinese travellers want to enjoy
all of the main leisure themes that can be found abroad, including beaches,
skiing, family entertainment, cruises or natural scenery.

“Previously shopping was a main travel
motivation for many Chinese tourists, but nowadays shopping is not the prime
reason any longer.

Q: From which cities and regions in China do many of the international travellers come from?

For example Guangzhou has over 13 million
residents – that’s three times the population of the Republic of Ireland.”

Q: How much impact do visa restrictions have on where Chinese travellers will go during the New Year period?

A: “This year the common estimate is that 7
million Chinese travellers will venture abroad during Chinese New Year and
clearly a favourable visa policy will help boost the number of tourists that
might consider a destination.

“More and more countries offer a visa
waiver or visa-on-arrival policy for Chinese travellers. In fact the number of
counties with a favourable visa policy increased from 60 countries in 2017 to
74 counties in January 2019.

Q: Is it true that many Chinese travellers don’t have credit cards?

A: “More and more Chinese travellers hold
credit cards, but only a limited number of travellers are used to using credit
cards when they travel.

Many hold a Chinese card called UnionPay and
with the continuous expansion of Union Pay’s acceptance network, it’s more
convenient for Chinese travellers to travel abroad than ever before. Chinese
customers also often request multi-payment options, including a bank transfer,
Alipay and WeChat Pay.

Q: What is the single most important factor that Chinese travellers will be looking at when booking a hotel overseas?

A: “Although Chinese tourists are price
sensitive, they are still willing to spend on their accommodation.

“Room type is essential too as normally
Chinese travellers request a twin (double bed room) and having a kettle and
breakfast included are very important factors they would consider when booking

A hotel abroad – so not only having these
on offer, but also making clear in the booking process that you have them, is
key for any hotel that wants Chinese bookings.”

Q: And what single most important factor is likely to make a Chinese traveller NOT book a hotel for the New Year period?

A: “If there are any negative comments
about a hotel’s security or safety, or the safety and security of the
surrounding area, Chinese travellers won’t book, especially when considering
making international reservations.

“Providing safety and security information
in Chinese, especially if your hotel neighbourhood could be perceived by some
as dangerous at times, may help ease concerns – as well as showing that you
have good security precautions and so on in your hotel itself.”